Never Forgotten
by Agent LastWish
Summary: He's never known a friend in the world... until he met her. And she'll never know how she change his life. Now complete!
1. Chapter 1

This story is inspired by the the song _For Good_ from the musical Wicked, and the movie All Dogs Go to Heaven Please review and tell me what you think, and how I can improve the quality of my work! Also, please tell me if you want me to continue the story!

I know, now I have three stories all going at the same time. But writting is how I deal with stress, so... I guess you can tell, I'm really stressed out right now.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS

* * *

><p>It's hard to be a third grader. Any eight year old can tell you that. Going to school, waking up early, teachers, bullies… But it's especially hard when your dad is in the military. Kelly Gibbs knows that better than anybody. But if there's one thing that's harder to deal with than anything else, it's crushes. They somehow manage to get a hold on your heart and break it and break it and break it. And they don't even know that they've done anything wrong! Actually, sometimes they don't even notice you at all. Everybody gets crushed by a crush someday. No one is immune to it. Not even people with military dads.<p>

"Happy birthday, Kelly!" Maddie Tyler greeted Kelly as she walked through the front doors of the school. Kelly laughed

"It's not my birthday, Maddie. You're early!" She giggled. "My birthday's not until tomorrow!"

Maddie smiled. "Yeah, I know! I was wishing you a happy birthday tomorrow, today!" The two girls stood in the foyer, giggling, until the ten-minuet bell rang.

"Come one Maddie. I gotta go to my locker. We only have ten minuets until school starts and we're late!" She took Maddie's hand and the two of them skipped to the colorful-looking lockers.

"So are you brining treats for our class?" Maddie asked.

Kelly nodded. "Uh-huh! I'm bringing homemade M&M cookies! It's my dad's recipe."

"Mm," Maddie closed her eyes and smiled. "You're dad's a good cook. I remember. Hey isn't your dad home right now?" She asked.

"Kelly smiled from ear to ear. "Yep. He's gonna be home for six months!" She opened her locker and started digging through for her notebook. Suddenly, she heard a loud noise that made both of the girls stop smiling.

"Hey what is that?" Kelly asked, sticking her head back out of her locker. Maddie looked down the hall. There were a bunch of big fifth graders shoving some kid into a locker.

"Who is that?" Kelly asked.

Maddie shrugged. "Don't know. I think he's in our grade, 'cause I've seen him around. But I think he's in one of the other classes. I don't know his name." The boy was kind of tall and quirky. He had curly brown hair and thick glasses. He seemed really scared of the big fifth graders. They probably beat up on him a lot. Kelly winced as one of the boys stuffed the kid's head into the locker and slammed the door. Why did fifth graders have to be so mean?

"We should do something!" Kelly said. She started to walk towards the boys, but Maddie held her back.

"Kelly, you can't! They're fifth graders! They'll kill you!" Kelly looked from Maddie to the boys. She had to agree with her. They were too big. All she could do was watch. The boys kick the locker a bunch of times, before they walked away, laughing. After they were gone, the boy crawled out of the locker. His glassed were mangled and broken, and he had a bloody nose. He turned to look at Kelly and Maddie. There was a sad look in his eyes, as if to say: "Why didn't you do something?"

"Come on, Kelly." Maddie urged. She pulled Kelly away, and the two ran off to class.

…

Kelly got her tray of food, and walked out of the lunch line in the cafeteria. She then went to go find Maddie. She finally found her, sitting on a table by the microwaves. Kelly smiled and sat down across from her. Maddie and Kelly ate their lunch, ultimately, in silence. Maddie kept trying to start up a conversation, but Kelly was looking behind her.

"For Pete's sake! What are you looking at?" Maddie asked and turned around. She saw a whole bunch of people that she didn't know, and a couple of people that she did. One of the people she saw, was Danny Forester. He had black hair and green eyes. He was one of the most popular kids in the school. Maddie was the only one in the whole school who knew that Kelly_ liked_ Danny.

"You're looking at Danny, aren't you." Maddie teased.

"Am not." Kelly said.

"Are too. I can tell. You have that 'distant' look in your eyes." Maddie said. Kelly shot her a glare. "So, when are you gonna tell him you like him?" She asked.

Kelly shrugged. "Probably never."

"Why not?" Maddie asked, shocked.

"'Cause! He doesn't even notice I exist. All I ever want was for him to tell me that he likes me. Or at least to talk to me. But he won't. He's not in our class, so maybe I'll make an extra cookie and give it to him."

"You should." Maddie mused.

"But I'm not looking at him. Look." She pointed to the boy that they saw get shoved into the locker. He was sitting all alone at the end of the table.

"We should go sit with him." Kelly said.

"And do what? We already ate our lunch. Let's go to recess!" Maddie shouted, excitedly. Kelly had to agree and they left.

…

Maddie met Kelly in the foyer of the school the next morning. Kelly was carrying a big paper bag along with her backpack.

"Are those the cookies? I can smell them. They smell good! Did you make one for Danny?" Maddie asked.

Kelly nodded. "Yeah! I made one for him, and I made it extra special! It took me a half an hour to get it decorated right." She said as she walked over to the lockers. She got to her locker, and did her combo. She opened it and put the cookies inside. She looked around for that boy that was beat up, yesterday, but he wasn't there. She felt so bad about not helping him, and not sitting with him, that she couldn't sleep all night!

"Come on, Kelly! Stop staring! We gotta got to class!" Maddie said.

"Ok, ok! Hey will you help me pass out the cookies during homeroom?" Kelly asked. Maddie nodded and they two ran off to class.

Homeroom came, and Kelly and Maddie went to Kelly's locker to get the cookies. They passed out the cookies while the whole class sang "Happy Birthday" to Kelly. When homeroom was over, she only had one cookie left, and it was for Danny. She didn't usually bring lunch from home, but today she did. So she gently slid the cookie into her lunch box, and waited for lunch to come.

Finally, after what seemed like the longest class of her life, it was lunch time! Kelly ran to her locker and got out her lunch (and Danny's cookie) and ran to the lunch room. She walked in, and saw Maddie _sitting right across from Danny!_

"Hey, Kelly! We saved you a seat!" Danny called. Kelly was ecstatic. Danny never talked to her! She had wanted him to talk to her and to notice that she was there, for ever! It was like a dream come true! She gripped her lunch tight and nodded. She had always wanted to sit next to Danny! She never even thought that he knew her name! Suddenly she stopped. She remembered what it was like to ignored. She remembered what it felt like to be forgotten. But there was someone else who knew that feeling even better that she did. Kelly turned around. There he was. The boy with the thick glasses and the curly brown hair, sitting all alone at the end of the table.

"Sorry guys," Kelly called to Danny and Maddie. "Maybe later!" She turned around and walked towards the lonely boy. She took a deep breath and sat down across from him. He didn't even look up. He probably thought that she was here to tease him.

"Hi," She smiled. "My name's Kelly Gibbs." But the boy didn't respond. He looked up a little, but looked back down again. He thought it was a prank. He though she might hurt him. He thought she would beat him up. That's when Kelly realized just how lonely this kid was. He didn't have a friend in the world. Before she knew it, she found herself reaching into her lunch box and pulling out something… something… the cookie! It was Danny's cookie! She had spent an hour last night decorating it just for him! But none of that mattered. She outstretched her arm and handed him the cookie. The boy lifted his head and looked behind him, thinking she was handing it to someone else.

"No," She said. "It's for _you_." The boy looked up, his eyes wide and bright.

"Really?" He asked. Kelly nodded. The boy smile, for probably what was the first time in a long time, and took the cookie. He took a bite. "Wow! This is really good!" He said, crumbs falling out of his mouth.

"Thanks! My name's Kelly, by the way." She smiled.

The boy looked up, happiness brimming in his eyes. "My name's Jimmy. Jimmy Palmer."

* * *

><p>Please tell me if you want me to continue or not!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, I finally got chapter two out! Thank you guys so much for your wonderful reveiws! Sorry it took so long, I've been really busy with a theater camp and haven't had too much time to write. Enjoy! please tell me if you want me to continue!

* * *

><p>The sky was dark and heavy-laden with rain. The little droplets splattered against the Library window, where Jimmy Palmer was looking out at the playground with dismay. The lunch bell had rung a long time ago, but his own fear prevented him from enjoying the playground with the other kids. Kelly Gibbs wasn't among the children outside. He was wondering where she was, when she walked into the library, shedding her rain poncho then going to sit with Jimmy, on the table in front of the window.<p>

"Whatcha doing?" She asked, in a sing song voice.

Jimmy shrugged. "Nothing."

Kelly tilted her head to see what he was looking at. When she realized that he was watching the other children, with a slight hint of envy in his eyes, she began to wonder if he knew it was recess. "It's lunch time, you know." She said.

Jimmy shrugged again and sighed. "Yeah, I know."

"So then, why are you in here, looking like you wished you were out there?" Kelly asked.

"Because. There are fifth graders on the playground. 'Sides. It's raining." He said, halfheartedly.

Kelly smiled. She took his hands and jumped to her feet, looking into his eyes with a wide smile. "Jimmy, life's not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain!" She beamed and pulled him to his feet.

Jimmy looked at her with a perplexed expression. "But I don't know how to dance…" He said in sort of a daze.

Kelly shrugged. "So? I don't know how to dance either! But that don't stop me from dancing anyways!" She said, gleefully, and began twirling and spinning around the room.

Jimmy smiled and began to spin, too. The two young children were giggling and spinning before they collapsed to the ground, too dizzy to stand up. After a moment of catching their breath, Kelly stood up and held out her hand to Jimmy.

"Ready to dance?" Kelly asked.

Jimmy hesitated for a moment, a bit unsure. But then a smile crossed his face and he took her hand. "Yep!" He said, nodding.

Kelly smiled and ran out to the playground, holding his hand the whole way. She didn't look back at him once; If she did, she would have noticed that he was staring at her. It wasn't that she had chocolate milk on her face, or anything like that. But it made Jimmy feel warm inside, knowing that she was there. It made his stomach feel kind of funny. Was this cooties? His train of thought was interrupted when Kelly stopped all of the sudden. He looked up to see the same group of fifth graders that had terrorized him since forever.

The biggest one lumbered out of the crowd, and looked back at his ugly friends, giving them a toothy smile. "Hey, would ya lookie here. Runt's got himself a girlfriend." He chimed.

"The Runt's got a girl! The Runt's got a girl! The Runt's got a girl!" The boys sang.

Jimmy felt his face getting hot under the watchful eyes of the bigger boys. He didn't dare look at Kelly now. He knew the shame he'd probably brought on his new -his only- friend. He didn't want them to make fun of her, he didn't want her to get her. If he left, they'd follow him and leave her alone. So he tried to slip his hand out of hers, so he could get away. But her grip was tighter than ever. She wasn't afraid of the bigger kids.

"Leave 'im alone, Butch." Kelly hissed, her eyes narrowed.

Butch ignored her and stepped even farther forward. He grabbed Jimmy by the collar of his shirt and drug him close to his face. "I wonder how much she'd like you if you was missing two teeth?" He smirked, and raised his fist.

It was at this moment that Kelly let go of Jimmy's hand. She, herself, to a step forward, shoved Butch down. Butch hit the ground with a surprised expression on his face, as if he was unsure of what just happened.

"I said, leave him alone, Butch." Kelly yelled, balling her fists.

Butch shook his head and stood up, laughing, still mildly shocked. "Oh ho ho, looks like you gotta girlfriend, Runt," He said to Jimmy, who was, by this time, on the ground, trembling.

Kelly put her hands on her hips, looking unimpressed. "You already established that," She stated, flatly. "You don't need to repeat yourself. We heard you the first time," She said, rolling her eyes.

Butch took a step back, Kelly' comment throwing him off guard. He said nothing, shocked, his mouth gaping leaving him speechless. None of the other fifth graders said anything, either. They, too, were at a loss for words.

"Well?" Kelly asked, folding her arms across her chest. No response. Kelly stuck out her hand and helped Jimmy to her feet. "If you've got nothing else to say, we're leaving." Kelly announced, walking towards the jungle gym.

"Hold it, Pee Wee," Butch hissed, stepping in front of them. He had, for the most part, recovered from his shock. He balled his fist and grabbed Kelly by the collar of her shirt. "I'm gonna teach you, a lesson about respecting your superiors, you little-" Butch's face changed from anger, into a wince of pain. He fell to his knees, singing soprano. Kelly put her foot down, having had kicked him "where it counts". She glared at all of the other boys, meeting each one in the eye. "Any one else got something to say to me?" Kelly asked, a wild look in her eyes, and her hair soaked from the rain. None of the boys responded, although a few of them shook their heads. "I didn't think so." Kelly said, smugly.

Kelly took Jimmy's hand and they ran to the monkey bars, the two of them soaking wet. Jimmy looked at Kelly, who was hanging upside down, and smiled. He finally understood. It wasn't cooties, it was love.


	3. Chapter 3

sorry for the delay. Thank you so much for reviewing! This is the final chapter, so please enjoy!

* * *

><p>It was a dark day, rain pouring from the sky, the angels crying. The bell rung one more time, echoing across the walls. School got out almost a half an hour ago. It was the weekend now. Actually, it was Thursday. But class the following day was canceled on account of… on account of… The hallways were dark and empty. Only Jimmy remained. He stood there, alone, staring at Kelly's locker. Only a few months had passed since she had taught him how to stand up for himself. The fifth graders hadn't beat him up in months. In fact, he was friends with some of them now! Kelly had changed his life in ways that she would never know. Ever since she entered his life he had been so happy! But now… but now…<p>

The front door opened, but Jimmy paid no attention. She walked up to him, she knew he'd be here. She didn't even bother to take off her rain coat. Maddie wrapped her arm around Jimmy's shoulder, hugging him tightly. Neither of them spoke, but cried quietly.

Jimmy didn't stop crying, but managed to speak. "Will you… will you pass me that paper and pencil?" he asked. Maddie nodded and slipped him the school supplied. He began to write.

"What are you writing?" Maddie asked.

"A thank you note." Jimmy said, folding up the note and slipping it inside Kelly's locker.

"She'd like that." Maddie whispered.

Jimmy nodded. "I only wish… I only wish I'd thanked her… thanked her when she was still… still…"

Maddie hugged him again. "I know."

X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X

Kelly and Shannon's memorial service was held on the following Saturday. Jimmy was there, dressed a tuxedo. He looked awfully nice. He had a small box in his hands. While his parents talked, Jimmy sat down by Maddie.

"They opened up her locker last night." she said. "It's so disrespectful. But here," she handed him his thank you note. "I don't think that Kelly got a chance to read it yet."

Jimmy took the note and held it close. When it came time to pay final respects, Jimmy tried to slip the note and the box into Kelly's casket, but the grown ups wouldn't let him. He needed Kelly to read the note! He was a man who looked a lot like Kelly. He must have been her father. Jimmy ran up to him and pushed the note into his hands.

"What's this?" Mr. Gibbs asked, his voice cracking.

"It's a thank you note. For Kelly." Jimmy said.

Mr. Gibbs blinked back tears. "You must be that Palmer boy. Jimmy, I think. Kelly… Kelly really liked you. She talked about you a lot." He said, forgetting about the note for a moment.

"I know. Kelly changed my life. And I never thanked her…"

"Is that what this is?" Gibbs asked, reading the note.

Jimmy nodded. Gibbs read the note over and over, at least three times. He blinked back tears. He bent down, and hugged the young boy. Jimmy pushed the box at him, and Gibbs looked at it for a moment.

"What's this?" Gibbs asked, opening it.

"It's a cupcake," Jimmy answered. "When I first met Kelly, she gave me a cupcake that she was going to give to Danny. It really meant a lot to me then, and it means a lot to me now, sir. I thought I'd return that favor…"

Gibbs put down the cupcake and hugged Jimmy again. "Thank you, son. Thank you,"

X.X.X.X..X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.X.

No matter what happens to us in life, the fact remains: Life goes on. Time goes on. And we all must grow up sometime. And that's what happened to Jimmy Palmer. He grew up. Jimmy finished elementary school at the same school. He never could have, or would have done it, without Maddie. He and Maddie became the best of friend, often talking, and sometimes crying, about Kelly. When Mr. Gibbs returned of leave, sometimes they would talk about Kelly and Shannon. It made them both happy and sad at the same time. Then the day came, one summer day, when Jimmy moved away. Maddie was so sad that she had to say goodbye to another friend, but Jimmy reassured her that it wouldn't be forever. And indeed it wasn't. They kept in touch as pen pals. Eventually Mr. Gibbs moved on and remarried, and almost seemed to forget Kelly. He forgot about Jimmy, too. But Jimmy never forgot him.

Jimmy eventually went to Jr. High. He had no problem with bullies there. Kelly had taught him to stand up for himself. He'd often tell his friends at school about Kelly. He missed her a lot, but life goes on. Jimmy soon went to high school. He didn't miss Kelly as much anymore. In fact, he'd laugh when he used to cry. When he moved to collage, it became clear that life does move on. And, though, he never forgot her, he was no longer sad, and missed her less and less. He became a Medical Examiner. Or at least, an assistant medical examiner. And life went on.

And so, little Jimmy Palmer, too afraid to talk to anyone, grew up. No, he never forgot young Kelly Gibbs. How could he? She saved his life. She saved his life just by being his friend. No, he'd never forget Kelly Gibbs. after all, a boy only falls in love for the first time once.

And so, life went on, and Jimmy grew up. And so, the story of Jimmy Palmer and Kelly Gibbs had ended. Then one day…

"Hey, Duck! Watch'ya got for me?" Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs asked as he walked into Autopsy. But Ducky didn't answer. Instead, a quirky looking kid with curly brown hair and glasses answered.

"Dr. Mallard isn't here right now. He just left." He said quietly.

Gibbs looked at the kid for a minuet. He must be Ducky's new assistant. But he was so familiar. "What's your name, kid?" Gibbs asked.

"Um… Jimmy. Jimmy Palmer," Jimmy said quietly. The name struck Gibbs like a bag of bricks.

"Hey, Jimmy. There's something in my desk. Top right drawer. Go get it." Gibbs ordered.

The order caught Jimmy by surprise. He ran up to the Bull Pen, hastily. He didn't recognize Gibbs, so it never occurred to him what it was he might be getting. He ran upstairs and sat at Gibbs' desk, rooting through the drawer.

"Hey, it's the new kid from Autopsy!" Agent DiNozzo announced.

"Hey isn't that Gibbs' desk?" Agent McGee asked.

"Gibbs isn't gonna be happy. He looks like a little Gremlin!" He shot Agent Todd a sly glance.

"DiNozzo, you are such a pig!" She said.

Jimmy just ignored them. Suddenly he found something. It looked like a really really old piece of paper. It was folded several times, and slightly torn. He opened it and read it.

_Dear Kelly,_

_I never thanked you for being so nice to me all the time. You taught me how to stand up for myself. You taught me how to dance in the rain and not be afraid. Without you, I don't know what I would have done. You changed my life. I wish I could have thanked you while you were still here. I don't know why I didn't. The truth is, I liked you. I mean like, liked you. I wish you were still here. I'm going to miss you. But even though you're gone, I know I'll be OK, because you taught me how to be OK. I'm gonna miss you so, so much. I wish you didn't have to go, but I'll never forget you, and I'll never forget what you did for me. Thank you, Kelly. _

_Never Forgotten,_

_Jimmy Palmer_

* * *

><p>Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!<p> 


End file.
